SLA harasses uprooted Tamils from Champoor in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 September 2011, 17:45 GMT]Sri Lanka Army soldiers have been harassing uprooted people from Champoor villages in Trincomalee, who are sheltered in temporary camps of the Moothoor East division of the district. In recent days, groups of occupying SLA soldiers who visit the so-called welfare centres of the Champoor uprooted living in Mallikaith-theevu, Ma'natcheanai, Kaddaipa'richchaan and Ki'liveddi, have been questioning the ‘background’ and the ‘past’ of the civilians under LTTE-administration before 2006. Recently, the SL governor of the East, Rear Admiral (retd) Mohan Wijewickrema, had warned the uprooted Champoor people sheltered in the camps that they risk losing their ‘refugee’ status if they continue to refuse moving into alternate lands provided by Colombo. Champoor has been seized from the people for Indian assisted coal power plant, which is a scheme of Colombo's structural genocide on Eezham Tamils.

The military governor had also warned that the names of the civilians, who were not cooperating with Colombo's programme, would be deleted from the register that entitles them to receive relief as refugees.

The SLA has been registering full names, address, date of birth, civil status, irrespective of the age of the uprooted who reside in the centres.

While doing the ‘interrogation’ the SLA personnel are also questioning the uprooted people whether they are prepared to live in alternate lands other than their own lands.

But their answer is in negative, the sources further said.

The uprooted civilians from Champoor have been repeatedly urging resettlement in their own villages.